•Agencies cite need for more time, while plaintiff objects to delay in Freedom of Information Act case.
By OBSERVERS TIMES
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have requested a 90-day extension from a U.S. District Court to produce documents related to an alleged drug investigation involving President Bola Tinubu from the 1990s. The request, filed in a joint status report, comes in response to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests by transparency advocate Aaron Greenspan.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, presided over by Judge Beryl Howell, had ordered the FBI and DEA to provide a status update on their search and release of relevant documents by May 2, 2025. However, in their recent joint filing, the agencies stated they require additional time to complete their searches.
“The FBI and DEA have initiated their searches for responsive, non-exempt, reasonably segregable portions of records requested by the plaintiff and anticipate completing their searches in ninety days,” the report stated.
Aaron Greenspan, founder of PlainSite, who filed the FOIA requests, opposed the proposed delay. He argued that the agencies have already prolonged the process for years and that some documents have already been identified. He suggested a much shorter deadline, advocating for the release of unredacted versions of already-identified documents within a week and the remainder within 14 days.
“Given the years-long delay already caused by the defendants and the fact that many responsive documents have already been identified, the plaintiff proposes that the FBI and DEA complete their searches and productions by next week, or, at the very least, produce unredacted versions of the already-identified documents by next week, with the remainder completed in 14 days. The defendants provide no rationale for why their search for documents should take 90 days,” Greenspan argued.
The FOIA requests, filed between 2022 and 2023, sought records from multiple federal agencies concerning an alleged Chicago-based drug ring and named President Tinubu along with three other individuals.
Initially, the FBI and DEA issued “Glomar responses,” neither confirming nor denying the existence of relevant records. However, the court deemed this response inappropriate and ordered the agencies to proceed with disclosures where applicable.
Greenspan is also seeking reimbursement for filing and mailing costs, totaling $440.22.
The two parties also disagree on the timeline for the next joint status report, with the agencies proposing July 31, 2025, and Greenspan advocating for May 31, 2025.
“The defendants propose that the parties submit a joint status report on or before July 31, 2025 to update the Court on the case status following the agencies’ search for responsive, non-exempt, reasonably segregable records requested by the plaintiff. The plaintiff proposes that they submit a joint status report on or before May 31, 2025,” the report stated.
